The Illinois AD Search

Second and Chalmers · Dec 12, 2015

ilphotog said:
So for the sake of this discussion, what are the key things do you believe a AD needs to have to be a good AD ? Can we as a group come to a conclusion on what the top 3-5 (or more) attributes the candidate needs to have. They don't have to be in any order etc.

#1 by far: Galvanize diverse stakeholders around a common purpose. Sell an appealing idea of an idealized DIA future to different cliques of donors, faculty, administrators, media, etc.

Inside baseball is going to have to be a huge strength of our next AD, because the situation is so, so fractured right now.

The other stuff

- Be a public face, especially early. Talk a good game. Understand the anger. Embrace an uphill battle.
- Be an evaluator of coaching talent. The new guy is going to be defined by the two big hires he's going to be forced to make right away. The behind-the-scenes stuff needs to be in place, and that won't have the public profile, but the precedent is clear, an Illinois AD will not survive a Beckman.

It's a tough, tough job, and you're going to be drinking from the fire hose right away due to the coaching situation. Good luck.

Second and Chalmers · Dec 12, 2015

illini809 said:
I think you need to elaborate on the "hiring" part on 1. Thomas spotted coaching talent in both sports but couldn't persuade those individuals to accept his offer. (Sumlin, Smart, Stevens). Therefore, I would add - an effective communicator who is skilled in persuasion.

Didn't take a genius to spot those guys. They were the right plays to make, no question, but hiring Tim Beckman over Paul Chryst and Pat Narduzzi does not demonstrate an eye for coaching talent. MT's insistence on a head coach was a strange line in the sand to draw, and it snowballed into his downfall.

gibb52 · Dec 13, 2015

Second and Chalmers said:
Didn't take a genius to spot those guys. They were the right plays to make, no question, but hiring Tim Beckman over Paul Chryst and Pat Narduzzi does not demonstrate an eye for coaching talent. MT's insistence on a head coach was a strange line in the sand to draw, and it snowballed into his downfall.

I never understood that either. If Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida State can hire an asst coach why couldn't Illinois?

gibb52 · Dec 13, 2015

Second and Chalmers said:
#1 by far: Galvanize diverse stakeholders around a common purpose. Sell an appealing idea of an idealized DIA future to different cliques of donors, faculty, administrators, media, etc.

Inside baseball is going to have to be a huge strength of our next AD, because the situation is so, so fractured right now.

The other stuff

- Be a public face, especially early. Talk a good game. Understand the anger. Embrace an uphill battle.
- Be an evaluator of coaching talent. The new guy is going to be defined by the two big hires he's going to be forced to make right away. The behind-the-scenes stuff needs to be in place, and that won't have the public profile, but the precedent is clear, an Illinois AD will not survive a Beckman.

It's a tough, tough job, and you're going to be drinking from the fire hose right away due to the coaching situation. Good luck.

Those are great points. For contrarian purposes I say this:

1 Ability to spot and hire the right coaches in the 2 revenue sports.

2 Ability to spot and hire the right coaches in the 2 revenue sports.

3 Everything else.

Get your Barry Alvarez, Hayden Fry or Hugh Freeze. Get your Bill Self or Greg Marshall.

Suddenly your fundraising, fan experience, alumni/booster relationships and DIA infrastructure become much easier with B2B2B NYD bowl games and a couple of trips to the Elite 8.

Flight 33 · Dec 13, 2015

gibb52 said:
I never understood that either. If Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida State can hire an asst coach why couldn't Illinois?

Agreed, we need to look at the top assistants as well as up and coming head coaches.

orangeswarm76 · Dec 13, 2015

After checking all of my regular Illini news today it hit me like a brick . I just can't take this anymore . Losing everywhere, bad attitudes , and people that just don't do anything. If these people are anything they will stop the bleeding, just can't take watching the Illini burn to the ground. Much longer and you might as well kill the athletic program.

AutoPoster 3000 · Dec 13, 2015

Second and Chalmers said:
Didn't take a genius to spot those guys. They were the right plays to make, no question, but hiring Tim Beckman over Paul Chryst and Pat Narduzzi does not demonstrate an eye for coaching talent. MT's insistence on a head coach was a strange line in the sand to draw, and it snowballed into his downfall.

Especially a defensive specialist head coach of a team that owed almost all its success to its spectacular offense. Which was commented on by many people contemporaneous to the hire even before it was clear that Campbell was staying at Toledo.

It's remarkable how often these schools do themselves in by overthinking and trying to find the right "fit" instead of just hiring the most talented coach available at the moment. It's a lot better to start with talent and work on the fit than to start with a good fit and work on the talent.

Joel Goodson · Dec 13, 2015

orangeswarm76 said:
After checking all of my regular Illini news today it hit me like a brick . I just can't take this anymore . Losing everywhere, bad attitudes , and people that just don't do anything. If these people are anything they will stop the bleeding, just can't take watching the Illini burn to the ground. Much longer and you might as well kill the athletic program.

Massive hyperbole.

I assume you weren't around for the moleface era. And have forgotten the early Turner years (they were eminently forgettable).

As for hoops, things are definitely not good, but pre-LouDo they were far worse. Even the early Henson years were worse than the status quo. Weber's flame out.

Some of our other programs are tearing it up.

illini39 · Dec 14, 2015

We all need to keep this simple. The next key move for the DIA is the hiring of the AD. Everything will fall in place after this. Cubit 2 years or one if a move is needed is not the end of the world. More importantly, timing is still good to make a move with the BB coach if things continue to spiral down. Groce has definitely got one foot out the door. The key is a great hire for AD and if taking a little more time to either convince George to come or really find the right guy so be it. All this other stuff of gloom and doom would be over with the right hire. It the first step and the most important one. There will be new hires for BB and Fb in the near future and we have to have the right guy with the right mind set to get the job done. Lastly, it will be extremely critical to have admissions pull their heads out of their asses and at least follow the NCAA clearing house eligibility rules.

Deleted member 569417 · Dec 14, 2015

illini39 said:
We all need to keep this simple. The next key move for the DIA is the hiring of the AD. Everything will fall in place after this. Cubit 2 years or one if a move is needed is not the end of the world. More importantly, timing is still good to make a move with the BB coach if things continue to spiral down. Groce has definitely got one foot out the door. The key is a great hire for AD and if taking a little more time to either convince George to come or really find the right guy so be it. All this other stuff of gloom and doom would be over with the right hire. It the first step and the most important one. There will be new hires for BB and Fb in the near future and we have to have the right guy with the right mind set to get the job done. Lastly, it will be extremely critical to have admissions pull their heads out of their asses and at least follow the NCAA clearing house eligibility rules.

The first step was replacing Cubit. They mangled that first step. We are now stuck with a coach that has put together a "less than ideal" 12th out of 14 in B10 2016 recruiting class. We've advertised to everyone that he is an interim coach with the 2 year deal. We gave every competing coach the rope to hang us with. Which means Cubit will stack pathetic recruiting classes on top of each other. Which means that regardless of AD hire and eventual replacement for Cubit hire, we are staring at a roster devoid of talent that can compete any time soon, and we are staring at a new AD and coach that will have little chance. We could have brought in Babers, let him try to salvage 16, and get to work on 17 and provided some semblance of a future. We did the easier, laziest, and stupidest thing. Again.

Michael or Whitman with Babers or Fleck staff sets us up for the future far better than another year of Cubit and George. And, I'm a guy that thinks hiring Michael is a disaster.

A legitimate football coach potentially fixes everything. You win there, fans come back, donors start donating, and no one cares who or where the AD came from.

Illinois had options to take the right first step. Illinois could not have made a worse first step. Again.

Honestly, at this point, I still hold out hope for a legit AD, but to me the only legit AD is an AD that comes in and is not beholden whatsoever to the "tradition" or the locals. I don't want anyone associated with Illinois previously. I don't want anyone that thinks pleasing a bunch of small town locals that want the country club back is job 1.

But, I'd trade almost anyone at AD for a legitimate football staff. Win in football and everything else falls into place.

BZuppke · Dec 14, 2015

History shows the right AD fixes everything quickly. Look no farther than Madison Wisconsin and Pat Richter. True the AD does not necessarily have to be a football guy, but as many here point out, fix football and everything else falls into place. Looking forward (and not dwelling on the 2 year Cubit deal), the AD hire is crucial.

I wonder what's going on? I'm sure we're receiving all sorts of interest.

combes · Dec 14, 2015

orangeswarm76 said:
After checking all of my regular Illini news today it hit me like a brick . I just can't take this anymore . Losing everywhere, bad attitudes , and people that just don't do anything. If these people are anything they will stop the bleeding, just can't take watching the Illini burn to the ground. Much longer and you might as well kill the athletic program.

Most of the athletic teams are successful at Illinois. Some of very successful. It's just that football and basketball are struggling, and those are the main ones.

combes · Dec 14, 2015

JiroDreamsOfMcRibs said:
The first step was replacing Cubit. They mangled that first step. We are now stuck with a coach that has put together a "less than ideal" 12th out of 14 in B10 2016 recruiting class. We've advertised to everyone that he is an interim coach with the 2 year deal. We gave every competing coach the rope to hang us with. Which means Cubit will stack pathetic recruiting classes on top of each other. Which means that regardless of AD hire and eventual replacement for Cubit hire, we are staring at a roster devoid of talent that can compete any time soon, and we are staring at a new AD and coach that will have little chance. We could have brought in Babers, let him try to salvage 16, and get to work on 17 and provided some semblance of a future. We did the easier, laziest, and stupidest thing. Again.

Michael or Whitman with Babers or Fleck staff sets us up for the future far better than another year of Cubit and George. And, I'm a guy that thinks hiring Michael is a disaster.

A legitimate football coach potentially fixes everything. You win there, fans come back, donors start donating, and no one cares who or where the AD came from.

Illinois had options to take the right first step. Illinois could not have made a worse first step. Again.

Honestly, at this point, I still hold out hope for a legit AD, but to me the only legit AD is an AD that comes in and is not beholden whatsoever to the "tradition" or the locals. I don't want anyone associated with Illinois previously. I don't want anyone that thinks pleasing a bunch of small town locals that want the country club back is job 1.

But, I'd trade almost anyone at AD for a legitimate football staff. Win in football and everything else falls into place.

Can't hire a new football coach until you hire an AD. That is why Cubit is still here. He is still an interim coach, imo. Any new AD worth his salt would want to make his own hire.

dmac279 · Dec 14, 2015

BZuppke said:
History shows the right AD fixes everything quickly. Look no farther than Madison Wisconsin and Pat Richter. True the AD does not necessarily have to be a football guy, but as many here point out, fix football and everything else falls into place. Looking forward (and not dwelling on the 2 year Cubit deal), the AD hire is crucial.

I wonder what's going on? I'm sure we're receiving all sorts of interest.

Totally agree, cubits no problem cheap buy out, we need a home run AD

PaytonHighstep · Dec 14, 2015

dmac279 said:
Totally agree, cubits no problem cheap buy out, we need a home run AD

It is a problem for 1 reason. Recruiting.

This program could be hampered by 2 recruiting classes (2016 and 2017) by keeping an interim coach for a 2nd interim season. I see multiple reports from current verbals looking around, which is not good for signing day in 2 months. Then to expect any decent talent to verbal for 2017 is crazy.

Long-term, you're right the AD will fix it, but if they fired both (Beckman and Thomas) before the season, we would have an AD by now (I would hope). Said AD could've hired a new coach during this cycle, which only completely impacts the 2016 class instead of 2 classes.

Not firing both in August could impact the football program for more than 2 seasons, imo. I hope I'm just being too pessimistic, but I feel I'm being rational at the moment. Thoughts?

lstewart53x3 · Dec 14, 2015

PaytonHighstep said:
It is a problem for 1 reason. Recruiting.

This program could be hampered by 2 recruiting classes (2016 and 2017) by keeping an interim coach for a 2nd interim season. I see multiple reports from current verbals looking around, which is not good for signing day in 2 months. Then to expect any decent talent to verbal for 2017 is crazy.

Long-term, you're right the AD will fix it, but if they fired both (Beckman and Thomas) before the season, we would have an AD by now (I would hope). Said AD could've hired a new coach during this cycle, which only completely impacts the 2016 class instead of 2 classes.

Not firing both in August could impact the football program for more than 2 seasons, imo. I hope I'm just being too pessimistic, but I feel I'm being rational at the moment. Thoughts?

It could be even worse. We're set up to win 6-7 games next year and if that happens, the new AD may keep Cubit on board for another year. If that happens, we'll potentially stack 3 straight bad recruiting classes on top of each other.

Edit: and if the new AD decides to fire Cubit next year after a 6-7 win season, most likely the new coach will follow that up with a terrible season and the common fan will then blame the new coach for the downfall. Similar to Beckman being blamed in his first year.

AutoPoster 3000 · Dec 14, 2015

Exactly. I love how everyone wants to cling to this blueprint. First get our "home run" AD. Then wait out a throwaway 2016 season before our football savior rides into town.

Except all Cubit has to do is stumble to a 6-6 record (not too tall a task with so many returning starters) to shift the debate next year to whether he should at least be retained for 2017 if not extended beyond that. Oh, but that wouldn't happen, right? It's not like we have a history of giving mediocrity additional chances. OK, there was Tepper in 1995. And Turner in 2003. And Zook in 2009. And Beckman in 2014. And Cubit himself in 2015.

But not Cubit in 2016. No way we would make that mistake again. I mean, fool me five times shame on you. Fool me six times, shame on me.

Second and Chalmers · Dec 14, 2015

JiroDreamsOfMcRibs said:
We are now stuck with a coach that has put together a "less than ideal" 12th out of 14 in B10 2016 recruiting class.

I'll eat my hat if we don't end up lower than that.

FeelYourPaign · Dec 14, 2015

AutoPoster 3000 said:
Exactly. I love how everyone wants to cling to this blueprint. First get our "home run" AD. Then wait out a throwaway 2016 season before our football savior rides into town.

Except all Cubit has to do is stumble to a 6-6 record (not too tall a task with so many returning starters) to shift the debate next year to whether he should at least be retained for 2017 if not extended beyond that. Oh, but that wouldn't happen, right? It's not like we have a history of giving mediocrity additional chances. OK, there was Tepper in 1995. And Turner in 2003. And Zook in 2009. And Beckman in 2014. And Cubit himself in 2015.

But not Cubit in 2016. No way we would make that mistake again. I mean, fool me five times shame on you. Fool me six times, shame on me.

Very well said. Unfortunately.

Second and Chalmers · Dec 14, 2015

AutoPoster 3000 said:
fool me five times shame on you. Fool me six times, shame on me.

Bravo

BZuppke · Dec 14, 2015

Have you seen next year's schedule? Highly unlikely we win 6 plus games. Other than the return of dudek, what makes us think our offense will be better?

Joel Goodson · Dec 14, 2015

BZuppke said:
Have you seen next year's schedule? Highly unlikely we win 6 plus games. Other than the return of dudek, what makes us think our offense will be better?

Yes, this. Barring unforseen miracles, we're not going to be a win 6 games next season. Dollars to donuts, Cubit's gone (after next season).

Deleted member 569417 · Dec 14, 2015

combes said:
Can't hire a new football coach until you hire an AD.

They did hire a football coach before they hired an AD. They hired Cubit to a 2 year deal.

That is why Cubit is still here.

Cubit is still here because the administration wouldn't let the interim AD, who hired both Jerry Kill and Matt Painter at SIU, actually be an interim AD in anything but name only.

He is still an interim coach, imo.

He's a poor coach. He's an abysmal recruiter. And, you've advertised to the planet that he is nothing but an interim. In doing so, you've made it even easier for any coach to recruit against him next year. How does 13th in B10 recruiting in 2017 sound? Sounds like an stretch goal to me.

Any new AD worth his salt would want to make his own hire.

I would think that an AD worth his salt would prefer to come into a situation with a legit football staff that hasn't piled 2 consecutive pathetic classes on top of each other vs "hiring his own guy" that will be setup for failure because you've given an extra year to a poor coach/abysmal recruiter that you've hamstrung with the interim deal.

Deleted member 569417 · Dec 14, 2015

AutoPoster 3000 said:
Exactly. I love how everyone wants to cling to this blueprint. First get our "home run" AD. Then wait out a throwaway 2016 season before our football savior rides into town.

Except all Cubit has to do is stumble to a 6-6 record (not too tall a task with so many returning starters) to shift the debate next year to whether he should at least be retained for 2017 if not extended beyond that. Oh, but that wouldn't happen, right? It's not like we have a history of giving mediocrity additional chances. OK, there was Tepper in 1995. And Turner in 2003. And Zook in 2009. And Beckman in 2014. And Cubit himself in 2015.

But not Cubit in 2016. No way we would make that mistake again. I mean, fool me five times shame on you. Fool me six times, shame on me.

*curls up in fetal position sobbing*

orangeswarm76 · Dec 14, 2015

Anyone know if there is any salt to Sean Frazier being the ad , that's the rumor on scout.

The Illinois AD Search

Second and Chalmers

Second and Chalmers

gibb52

gibb52

Flight 33

orangeswarm76

AutoPoster 3000

Joel Goodson

illini39

Deleted member 569417

Guest

BZuppke

combes

combes

dmac279

PaytonHighstep

lstewart53x3

AutoPoster 3000

Second and Chalmers

FeelYourPaign

Second and Chalmers

BZuppke

Joel Goodson

Deleted member 569417

Guest

Deleted member 569417

Guest

orangeswarm76